


Domestic

by Morpheus626



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:34:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25046962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: Copying my summary from when I first posted this piece to Tumblr: A follow up piece for my last Sledgefu piece, End of the Line. I know these aren’t anything overly wild or ambitious, but I’m having fun writing for something new. Hopefully they’re fun to read for all of you as well.Marked as 'Mature' just to be safe. Sex is just briefly alluded to in this one, but I figured better safe than sorry!
Relationships: Merriell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Domestic

“Another cat?” 

Snafu nodded without looking up from the kitten on his lap. “Found him in the alley. Couldn’t just leave him there all alone.” 

Eugene sighed and sat beside them on the raggedy couch. “What’s his name?”

Snafu shrugged. “Doesn’t have one yet. Besides, I named the first two-your turn now.” 

He dropped the kitten into Eugene’s lap, and leaned back onto him. 

“I don’t know,” Eugene laughed as the kitten curled up as close to him as it could. “Could name it after Sid.” 

“He like cats?” Snafu asked, warm against him as he leaned closer over him to gently pet the kitten. 

“He’s gonna have to when he comes to visit. That’s a whole two weeks away; we might have adopted another three by then.” 

“Ha, ha, funny. Now we’re gonna get four more,” Snafu replied. “Isn’t that right, Sid?” 

The kitten purred in reply. 

If he’d been able to, Eugene might have done the same. The train had eventually landed them in Annapolis, Maryland, where thus far it had been strangely easy domesticity. As far as anyone in town was concerned, they were two good friends who’d escaped the horrors of war to start fresh somewhere new. 

It hadn’t been a perfect four months-there were flashbacks and nightmares that sometimes meant no one in the apartment slept, and neither of them had a job they particularly liked (Eugene still had the goal to go back to school, but was sitting on it for the time being-rent and bills had to be paid first.) And his parents were both puzzled and displeased by his refusal to come back-yet at the same time, they refused all invites to come out and see them. Sid and his fiancee were the only ones from home who’d agreed to come by. 

But aside from that, it had been nice-being on their own, with no superior officers or parents to watch over them. Even on the worst days, he could at least be grateful that they were together. 

Domestic comfort, for Snafu, at least in part meant collecting cats to help fill the small space of the apartment. The first, a black and white tom cat, had accidentally come with the apartment. They’d found him in the bedroom, seemingly jumping in and out from the nearby tree through the open window, and it was more that he’d adopted them than anything else. He roamed, but showed up on the dot for food and drink, and lay at the foot of their mattress at night. Snafu had named him Gunner, after the rapid fire meows the cat shouted whenever he was mildly displeased with them. 

The second, Eugene could admit, was his fault. He’d found her crying underneath a porch a block down, trying and failing to wake her three kittens that hadn’t survived the elements. He certainly couldn’t leave her out there, sad and alone. He spent three hours canvassing the nearby streets, asking if she belonged to anyone-but no one would admit to it. She was clearly a house cat though-she had no interest in going outside again, and ruled the apartment like she was their landlord. Snafu had her name by the end of her first evening with them- “Queen here wants us to go to bed. Bet she’ll scream till we go in.” 

She did, and had every night whenever she felt it was time for them to go in. She kept to the couch, keeping her distance from Gunner. But he had a feeling she’d like Sid-the fluffy, tiny version at least. 

“Think he’s got siblings yet in the alley?” Eugene asked as lounged. The cat was already fast asleep, and his own eyes were getting heavy. Snafu seemed to drop in and out of sleep, his dark eyes popping open every few seconds. 

“Not sure. Might have; I didn’t search every spot they could be hiding. Why?”

Eugene shrugged. “Just wonderin’. Can’t leave ‘em out in the cold, if we do find them. Don’t know how we’d have room for all of them, but…” 

“Well look at you,” Snafu murmured, moving to press a gentle kiss to his lips. “Barely back home, and you’re soft as that kitten.” 

“Make fun all you want, but you started this. Besides, would you have me any other way?”

“I know exactly how I’ll have you-” Snafu started, a hand lingering on Eugene’s thigh, then snapped back with a hiss. 

Sid was wide awake now, his tiny mouth open as he reached again to nibble Snafu’s hand. 

“Sid! Now that is very rude, young man. You don’t bite your father like that,” Eugene scolded playfully as he gave the kitten a pat. 

“Kids,” Snafu sighed as he flopped back against Eugene. “Queen’s gonna have to knock that attitude out of this one.” 

As if on cue, Queen appeared from wherever she’d been hiding, and jumped up to meet the new family member. After a moment of snuffling and purring, she grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and jumped down with him to the rug, grooming him while he meowed in protest. 

“Good girl, teach him some manners,” Snafu smiled as they watched the cats. 

“You, of all people, talking about manners,” Eugene laughed. 

“I got manners,” Snafu replied with a smirk. 

“Oh really?” 

Snafu nodded, then stood and pulled Eugene up off the couch with him. “I do. For example, allow me to politely escort you to the bedroom.” 

“A gentleman! And what, pray tell, are we going to do there?” Eugene asked as Snafu led him back to the bedroom door. 

“Something fun and messy and extremely impolite,” Snafu replied as he pulled him close and pressed his lips to Eugene’s neck. “Can’t have manners all the time. Especially around you.” 

And that was something like perfect-being able to what they wanted (in general and to each other), as they wanted, while their feline family members lounged around. A world away from where they’d met, domestic and boring and somehow exactly right.


End file.
